‘Small Comfort’ longlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize
The longlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize has just been announced and Ia Genberg’s Small Comfort, translated by Kira Josefsson, has been longlisted among 13 other works of translated fiction. Genberg is the first Swedish author to be longlisted twice.
The jury has the following to say about the book:
“An original and thought-provoking short-story collection, Small Comfort skewers its characters, slyly implicating the reader along the way. /…/ Money makes the world go round and Ia Genberg has a deep, clear-eyed vision of how. The dramatic distinctness of the five stories that make up Small Comfort speaks to the might of Genberg’s imaginative powers, while the intricate threads tying them together are testament to her subtleness as a thinker. It couldn’t work without Kira Josefsson’s staggeringly flexible translation, which also stands out for the naturalness of its dialogue and wonderfully rhythmic prose. This duo’s writing zings and smarts in all the right places as we see ourselves reflected in the characters, warts and all. Breathtakingly original, profound but with a delicious dose of irreverence.”
The prestigious prize is awarded annually for the finest work of fiction that has been published in the UK and/or Ireland. The shortlist consisting of six titles will be announced on March 31.